Local motorcyclist who ran red light ID’d after deadly Riverside collision

RIVERSIDE, Calif., — Authorities say a woman riding a motorcycle was killed after running a red light and colliding with a passenger vehicle at the intersection of La Sierra and Cochran avenues in Riverside Monday evening, April 25.

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City of Riverside police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene around 10:30 p.m., after the City’s Public Safety Communications Center received several calls reporting a traffic collision involving a vehicle and a motorcyclist.

When officials arrived, they located an unresponsive motorcyclist down in the roadway who had sustained major traumatic injuries. She was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital where, despite life-saving efforts, she succumbed to her injuries and passed away.

The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has since identified Martha Casillas, 37, of Riverside, as the woman killed in the collision. A Coroner’s release indicated she was pronounced deceased at 11:05 p.m.

The driver and passengers of the other involved vehicle were not injured and were cooperating with officers who investigated that collision.

During their subsequent investigation, officers determined that just before the collision a 2020 Honda Civic, driven by a 20-year-old Fontana resident, was traveling eastbound on Cochran Avenue approaching La Sierra Avenue. At the same time, Casillas was traveling southbound on La Sierra Avenue approaching Cochran Avenue, when she failed to stop for a red light at the intersection, where the fatal collision occurred.

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At this time, officers do not believe drugs and/or alcohol intoxication were contributing factors and their investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information regarding this collision or who witnessed the deadly accident and has not provided a statement is urged to call Riverside Police Traffic Detective J. Derouin at (951) 826-8722 or [email protected]. Callers can refer to incident file number 220011268 and can remain anonymous.



Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.